This is a good way to review vocabulary and create some healthy competition in your classes. All you need is a list of vocabulary the students have been studying; or, if you want to introduce a new topic, words that they should know can also be used. You can use this game in classes with four to about 14 students.

Divide the class in half and have the two groups select a name for their team; write the names on the board. Each team should have a chair facing towards the members so that a person sitting in it will have his/her back to the board. To start the game, ask one student from each team to be a volunteer and have him/her to sit in the "hot seat" in front of his/her team. Next, write one of the words on the board and have the students try to elicit the word from their teammate (who is not allowed to turn around to see the wordon the board). They cannot write, spell or do anything else that might be considered cheating. (If students get truly stuck on a word, I will tell them the first letter--maybe even the second letter.) Whichever student in the "hot seat" guesses the word first earns a point for his/her team.

This game can really cause some excitement, so make sure you won't be disturbing other classes being held near yours. As an added incentive, I sometimes bring in Hershey's kisses to give to students when they come up with the word.